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Top Story: State’s Top 50….hidden treasures

Looking for a few tunes to listen to over the upcoming long weekend? Well you’re in luck, as the State team has come up with fifty of them. The brief we gave our writers, photographers and filmmakers was music that they felt had been overlooked, forgotten or simply not heard. Enjoy their soundtrack of secrets…

16 Hertz – ’16 Tons’

Released on Dublin label Kaboogie circa 2009, this one went largely under the radar. Though things have moved on a lot since then, this is still sounding fresh. (Rob Flynn)

Bat for Lashes – ‘Glass’

Natasha Khan describes this track as a fable which was inspired by the opening passage of the novel Last Exit To Brooklyn. ‘Glass’ is truly beautiful, filled with biblical imagery, mystical sounds and tribal percussion. The princess of folktronica really possesses a hidden gem here and it’s made of glass. (Karen Lawler)

Blur – ‘Swallows In A Heatwave’

Blur are hardly an unknown quantity, producing two defining records of the Britpop era, Parklife and The Great Escape. Unlike many of the Britpop contingent Blur managed survive beyond this era to produce arguably two of the best records of the late ’90s, Blur and 13. Of all the praise heaped on the band what is often overlooked are their great b-sides, they weren’t just fillers. The lo-fi distortion filled ‘Swallows in a Heatwave’ from 1997 is a case in point, easily as good as any album track. (Barry Healy)

Boxcutter – ‘Kaleid’

An amazing track from Boxcutter’s first LP Oneric, and one that’s often overlooked. Which is understandable considering the number of weighty tracks on that album but what’s not understandable is the fact that Boxcutter himself doesn’t seem to be vaunted in conjunction with his talent. He’s possibly the best thing to come out of Armagh since the the slang term for Buckfast, “Lurgan Champagne”. (Daryl Keating)

Comix – ‘Touche Pas Mon Sexe’

Damien Rice – ‘The Professor Et La Fille Danse’

Possibly one of Damien’s most poignant songs and in my mind, certainly better than casual fans favourite ‘Cannonball’; the debate still rages as to whether this is about his old flame, Lisa Hannigan. Released on the 2004 EP B-Sides, the track highlights the beautiful dynamic once shared with Damien and Lisa as musicians; a raw track, ripe with mistakes (literally and metaphorically) and has a baffling final verse, en Français. (Mark Roche)

Dave Berry – ‘Don’t Give Me No Lip, Child’

The Pistols did a superlative version of this, which you can find on The Great Rock n’ Roll Swindle, but the just used the pace that was already on the ball to nod it in. Berry’s original, a 1964 b-side to cut to his version of ‘The Crying Game’. It may even feature Jimmy Page on guitar. (Dara Higgins)

Dionysos – ‘Tais-toi, Mon Coeur’

This bittersweet love song is part of French folk-rocksters Dionysos’ concept album La Méchanique Du Coeur, which tells the story of Little Jack, born with a frozen heart, that Docteur Madeleine replaces with a cuckoo clock, warning him never to fall in love otherwise the clock will explode and kill him. The entire album is a hidden gem and deserves to be heard in full in order to fully appreciate Jack and his adventures. It’s a gloriously fantastical journey of whimsy and gothic imagery, folk and nouvelle chanson sung in a curious mix of the French and English, featuring guest vocalists such as Eric Cantona and Olivia Ruiz. An absolute gem by a quirky, charming band, sadly little known outside francophone Europe. (Louise McHenry)

Faith No More – ‘Anne’s Song’

Before the nightmarish Angel Dust there was the twisted pop metal of The Real Thing. And before that there was Introduce Yourself, the first time many of us came across Faith No More. Fronted by the admittedly fairy tuneless Chuck Mosely, this early incarnation of the band (post Courtney Love’s brief period as frontwoman) was a breath of fresh rock air. (Phil Udell)

Felt – ‘Primitive Painters’

The enigmatic Lawrence promised to make ten albums as Felt and stuck to his word. In an alternative universe they would have been one of the biggest bands of the eighties. Instead, they remain a wonderful secret for those in the know. ‘Primitive Painters’ is an anthem for all time. (Daragh McCausland)

Fishbone – ‘Ma & Pa’

Part of the LA based funk metal scene of the late 80s, Fishbone had as much in common with the Two-Tone movement as they did Red Hot Chili Peppers. Quite simply one of the best live bands of all time. (Phil Udell)